Cantuccini or Tuscan cantuccini are cookies made with flour, whole almonds, sugar, fresh eggs, butter and honey. Their history dates back to the Medicis and the Renaissance, when Tuscany became the crossroads of the spice trade and the first confectionery region in Europe although, as research carried out on the recipes of the time shows, they did not contain any almonds yet. The 1700s were marked by the spread of these cookies, but it was not until the 1900s that almond cantuccini began to be produced throughout Tuscany on an increasingly large scale.
To make cantuccini Toscani IGP, the ingredients are mixed together until they are homogenously combined, then shaped into "logs" on baking sheets and brushed with a mixture of water, eggs and sweeteners. After baking, the product is cut sideways. The length of this famous cookie can vary but is normally within 10 centimeters.
Cantuccini are produced throughout Tuscany. The IGP mark guarantees the consumer that they come from this region, that the production respects a regulation approved by the EU, and that the producers are controlled by an external Body.
They can be enjoyed as they are, with tea and coffee or, according to tradition, dipped in liqueur wines such as vin santo (holy wine). Innovations in the kitchen have also involved cantuccini. Have you tried Cantuccino Toscano IGP-flavored ice-cream?
